Back in the winter of 2009, I took a long awaited trip to Iceland with the hope of seeing the Aurora Borealis. Even though I was satisfied with what I saw, I continued to search for a more memorable experience. This journal shows my progress at different attempts to see the Aurora Borealis and how preparation, patience, luck and a lack of photography knowledge, played a big part.
The Science…
The Aurora Borelis, also known as the Northern lights are visible in very high latitudes countries where you experience beautiful coloured lights shimmering across the night sky due to a result of collisions between gaseous particles in the Earth’s atmosphere with charged particles released from the sun’s atmosphere. Variations in colour are due to the type of gas particles that are colliding. The same natural event occurs in the southern latitudes, known instead as the southern lights or Aurora Australis.
My Journal….
Arriving in the capital city of Rejavik, I was taken back by the beauty of Iceland. It was the first time I had visited a nordic country and after only a few hours, my gut told me that I could live there. Even if you departed from Iceland without seeing a hint of the Aurora Borealis, you would still be satisfied by all of the other great things you were able to experience. Frozen waterfalls, relaxing in the Blue Lagoon, the national park and even the city night life were enough to list Iceland as one of my favourite countries I have been to. Only spending 3 nights there, I did not even begin to scratch the surface.
I had booked a tour to see the northern lights with Iceland’s most reputable and popular tour company. As you turn up to the main coach hub at around midnight, you join the other herd of tourists that are just as excited as you are to see one of the world’s biggest phenomenoms. Tourist further afield than the UK had come a long way to see the northern lights and the -14 degrees temperature was not a deterent.
Once on the coach, the guide warmed our excitement by explaining that the weather was in the perfect condition for us to see a display of lights. We were prepared for the possibility that we would not see anything and were told that there had not been a good display for over a week. The Aurora requires certain conditions to offer a good display of lights. Even with the best time of year, perfect weather, good location, clearness of sky, and perfect position of the moon, you are not guaranteed to see the Aurora.
After 45 minutes, the coach stopped in what seemed like the middle of a field, far away from the distraction of the city lights. As I stepped out of the coach, I almost immediately froze. Equipped with a ski jacket, jeans, thermals, hat and gloves it was not enough for the cold wind. I looked around at the more experienced travellers that had all the right gear on as they waited patiently for the lights to come out. After 20 minutes of looking up at the beautiful milky way stars and running out of small talk to make with other travellers, I went back onto the bus shivering. I continued getting on and off the bus for the next 2 hours until I was so cold I was shaking uncontrollably.
The Aurora requires certain conditions to offer a good display of lights. Even with the best time of year, perfect weather, good location, clearness of sky, and perfect position of the moon, you are still not guaranteed to see the Aurora!
At 2am in the morning and shivering to near death, my body became tired so I started to fall asleep in the unheated coach. I was awoken by the guide who told me and the others that had fallen asleep that there was a small glimpse of a display. Everyone grabbed their things and rushed off of the bus confronted by the freezing wind and enthusiastic tourists setting up their cameras and tripods. A faint light crossed the skies “Here it comes!” announced the tour guide and everyone’s cameras reached for the stars awaiting one of the best moments of their lives. It felt like a self deception technique of wanting to see the lights so much, that we seemed satisfied that the long stretch of light with only a hint of green colour would warrant a good display of the Aurora Borealis. With the money spent, the tiredness and freezing temperatures, the self deception only got stronger and the Aurora lights became dimmer. Tourists got frustrated that they could not capture the small event on their cameras. (You have to own a capable camera, a tripod and know a bit about night photography before attempting it). We were promised by the tour guide that if we left our email address, he would send us a copy of the lights so that we could remember the moment. He followed up his promise and when I arrived home I had several photos of a slightly brighter looking strip of northern lights. I was happy with the experience, I thought I had seen the northern lights, but something was niggling me, why was I satisfied but not amazed?
First attempt of chasing the Aurora in Iceland
Recently, I embarked on a trip to Alaska. I knew there was a possibility of seeing the lights but it was not the main focus of the trip. This time, I was prepared for the cold. With temperatures reaching a possible -40, I had everything covered, most importantly windproof gear. Fairbanks was the first city I arrived to in Alaska and on the second night, I arranged a trip to the Chena springs. After soaking in the hot thermal springs everyone puts on warm clothing to try and see the Aurora in one of the secluded wood cabins. Me and a man I had met the previous day walked up a steep hill through the woods in the pitch dark to find our way to the top cabin. We waited patiently inside, only facing the freezing cold conditions when we saw the sky turning green. In the far distance you could see the magical green lights teasing us for short periods. I learned how to use my camera for capturing the northern lights with a professional photographer from China. My shots did not come out right because I had forgotten to bring my tripod. Already, the experience was far better that my first attempt in Iceland, I was slightly amazed. The lights only showed for a few minutes that night and after a couple of hours of looking out of the window, and freezing my fingertips outside in the cold, it was time to go back to the hotel.
Second attempt to see the Aurora, and a poor attempt at photography (Fairbanks Alaska)
The next day, I went on a trip to the Arctic Circle. On the way back, we stopped before returning to Fairbanks to see if the lights would come out. We stopped just off of the main road and waited patiently in the pitch black whilst erecting our tripods and cameras. The night was clear and the aurora report stated that it was 80% likely we would see a display. Eventually, the lights started to come out. The sky filled with an amazing bright green light changing in all directions and becoming more intense. Like the other tourists, I took endless amounts of photos quickly before the lights went out! This was like nothing I had seen before, the sky filled up with moving green lights it was like I was in a dream.
Third attempt to chase the Aurora, near the arctic circle. Photography getting better!
Some pink and green lights still at my third attempt to see the Aurora.
Some pink and green lights close up dancing! Fairbanks, Alaska
We moved to a different destination, nearer to Fairbanks and after a short period of time the intense pink and green lights graced the sky and that’s when I realised that I had finally seen one of the best displays of northern lights I could imagine. I practised taking photos and was too inexperienced to get a clear shot of me in it but I didn’t care because the moment did not need to be lost taking photos. I decided to put my camera away and lied back on the icy ground looking up into the sky. Then, something magical began to happen…. the lights started to dance. I was so overwhelmed at this point that I shed a tear! When the lights start to dance, the experience is unique and overwhelming. The excitement in the minibus on the way back to Fairbanks was quiet. I assumed that everyone was quietly enjoying the satisfaction of what they had just seen for the very first time.
When the lights start to dance, the experience is unique and overwhelming.
For a few days, I spent time in Point Barrow, the most northern point of Alaska and the USA. A small isolated town with inuit culture, I found it to be one of my most treasured memories to date. Upon arriving, I agreed to join an acquaintance on a trip to see the aurora and at midnight we were picked up in a truck by one of Barrow’s most popular residents, Mike Shult. We drove further out towards the frozen Arctic Sea and sat in his truck as he circled around with headlights on full beam to check for polar bears. We really were in the middle of no where with ice and snow surrounding us for miles. When the lights eventually showed up, the display was different. Beams of bright green light shot across the skies in long straight lines looking like communication from aliens. We bravely got out of the truck and set up our tripods like professionals. It was a very scary moment due to the potential of Polar bears attacking us. It was pitch black so we would not even know if one was there. Mike took precaution every 10 minutes by telling us to get back into his truck so he could turn on his beams and circle around looking for threatening Polar bears. The experience was spectacular that night and with the added thrill of being eaten alive by a polar bear, it was also exciting.
I eventually left Alaska, and smile with satisfaction that I had finally chased the Aurora Borealis and was finally amazed.
Fourth attempt at chasing the Aurora, Barrow Alaska with our truck in view.
The fourth attempt of chasing the Aurora Borealis. A freak shot taken with a bright green line across the arctic skies in Barrow, Alaska.
Tips:
– Even though a lot of countries advertise trips to see the Aurora Borealis, it is not guaranteed and many tourists take the trip just for this purpose. I would recommend that you do your research beforehand to choose somewhere with a higher likelihood of seeing a display and where there are other enjoyable activities nearby. If you do not get to see the lights, you can still enjoy your trip and not go home too disappointed.
– Use the many internet forecast sites that can help predict the best days and locations to see the display. Again, this is not 100% guaranteed and will only be able to predict a few days beforehand.
– If you plan to take photos and you are not an expert photographer, I would strongly advise that prior to seeing the Aurora you learn the basics of night time photography. Learning about focusing and long exposure will reduce the frustration of fiddling around with your camera in the freezing cold whilst missing the moment of the Aurora. I would also recommend a tripod no matter how small, this is very important in taking good low light photos.
-Be prepared for the cold weather. Layers, layers and more layers with a windproof jacket hat and gloves will keep you nice and warm. Some locations will provide you with a warm cabin to wait inside until the lights show up but even then you will eventually have to go outside and feel the chill. The wind blowing in freezing cold conditions should never be underestimated.
– Don’t miss the moment! Spend a small amount of time taking photos and for the rest of the time just look, take it in and enjoy. How you felt about seeing the Aurora for the first time is what you will want to remember, not looking down at your camera playing with settings.
Note:
Since this experience, I have improved on my camera skills and hope that one day I get to see the Aurora Australis to take better photographs!
